Chapter Five: The Wrong Side of Heaven

Morning broke over Los Angeles to the crisp Winds of Santa Ana drifting through from the west coast. The Star Cafe's doors opened as the sun rose above the waves, giving its occupants a beautiful view of the sea. Xander Levesque stood near the window, having opened the front doors of the cafe and pushed them against the walls, opening the room up to its terrace. Behind him, flipping chairs down onto the floor was April, his beautiful wife. He turned to watch her as she went through the motions of opening their little slice of heaven. He couldn't help but be amazed by her beauty. Long dark hair, emerald green eyes, olive skin and long legs. She was truly an angel among men.

The snapping of fingers in his face drew Xander's attention to the silver-haired young man who had joined him at the door. The smirk on his face told Xander that he had zoned out and his companion had caught him out.

"Good morning to you too, Cooper," he said, eyebrow raised. Cooper grinned.

"Morning, boss," he chirped as he headed towards the back. He high-fived April as he went passed, causing Xander to smile. The relationship April had with her siblings was each special and unique in their own way, but her relationship with Cooper was much more than the others. She was his shoulder to cry on, his best friend and mentor. Cooper had made a mistake similar to one of his own a few years beforehand and was now on his path to redemption. With the death of his only living relatives, Cooper had fled Las Vegas in hopes of ending his life, but instead had been retrieved by Abbigail, April's sister, and taken to the Levesque household. There he had learned that even mistakes can be fixed, if you take the right steps to rectify them. Now Cooper was working three jobs to support his girlfriend and their children. He'd made a pretty good life for himself.

"Good morning."

Xander turned to find Brooke standing in the door way, her bag slung over her shoulder. He raised an eyebrow at her attire. She wore a pair of black, pre-torn jeans, a red singlet with 'Bite Me' written in graffiti-style writing and knee high converse. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail, her bangs draping down over her face.

"Morning," he said, looking her up and down as he assessed her outfit. "What the hell are you wearing?"

Brooke looked down at her clothes then back at him, confusion distorting her pretty face.

"You told me to wear something casual?"

Xander snorted back laughter, resting his back against the door frame.

"Casual and plain. I distinctly remember saying plain." Xander smiled softly at the frown on Brooke's face. She'd obviously tried very hard to dress for the occasion and was disappointed in herself. In his thirty-five years of life, he'd learned to read facial expressions like a book and hers wasn't hard to read at all. He rested a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, we have uniforms here for you to use. But next time, no torn jeans. Plain black will do."

Brooke smiled, a smile that showed her gratitude, as she followed him back into the cafe. April and Cooper were standing behind the counter, stacking the trays with cupcakes and doughnuts. The scent of freshly cooked dough and cinnamon wafted through the air, giving the cafe an inviting feel.

"Stop eating the merchandise, Coop," April said as they walked up, gently slapping at Cooper's hand as he tried to steal a doughnut from the rack. Cooper grinned and turned as Xander sat down at one of the tables.

"Angel, Coop, this is Brooke," he said, gesturing to the blonde standing beside him. She smiled politely.

April smiled in return. "We've met. Sorry about last night, kid. I was extremely busy and didn't have the time or patience for job interviews."

"I completely understand," Brooke replied, the smile never leaving her face. "It's very fortunate that Xander was available last night or I would probably be on the streets by now."

April laughed, a hearty laugh that brought a smile to her husband's face.

"I'm sure your housemate wouldn't have kicked you out for not getting a job, as long as you can pay your rent on time."

Brooke smiled but the smile never touched her eyes. "You don't know him as well as I do."

"That's fair," Cooper said, smiling at her. "I'm Cooper and I'll be the one training you. Prepare to be dazzled by Cooper Li-Calaway's attempt at teaching."

"Attempt being the appropriate word there," Xander laughed, eyeing his brother-in-law. The almost inaudible gasp from Brooke broke his reverie and he turned to look at her.

"Did... did you just say Calaway?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yep... though that's not my legal name yet. I'm still in the process of changing it."

"Why do you ask?" April asked, her eyebrow raised. Brooke chewed her lip and looked away thinking about her response carefully.

Xander turned to look April in the eye, using the magic he'd been given to project his thoughts into her mind.

I knew from the minute I met her. I get the same feeling about Brooke that I do about you, the girls, Gunner and Cooper. Like I have to protect her.

April nudged her head in the direction of the back room, indicating for him to follow her. He stood, excused himself from the group and followed her. As soon as the door was shut and locked, April picked up a metal serving tray and threw it across the room, barely missing Xander as he ducked out of the way. She had gone from happy to enraged before he could even blink. A cupcake tray immediately followed it.

Before she could throw a toaster at him, Xander grabbed her wrists and forced them to her sides.

"April, calm down."

"He lied to me! He lied again! I have another sister I haven't known about for her entire life."

It was clear to Xander that April's temper was about to erupt, so he concentrated hard, pouring his healing magic into his hands. His fingertips glowed silver as he took away some of her rage. The darkness in her eyes faded away as they locked eyes. Xander could feel her anger curling into him, like a poison in his veins. His temple throbbed but it was worth it to see his wife calm again. He could feel the blackness in his soul pulsing and growing. He had to stop before he made himself angry.

Releasing his magic, the shadows inside him growled then curled themselves away, content once again. Taking a deep breath, he looked his wife in the eye and smiled.

"This may be the same as Abbi, Angel."

April tilted her head and thought for a second. Abbi was her twin sister that she'd only known about for less than five years. She'd always believed Abbi was dead, a stillborn. When she'd shown up on that fateful day in September of 2007, April had been angry then, believing her father a liar then too. He hadn't been. Was she jumping to conclusions again? If Brooke was just one of Xander's charges, and not her little sister, then she was angry for nothing There was the very real possibility that she was her sister, however, as Xander's charges as a Guardian Angel only really applied to her family. Anyone who shared the Calaway bloodline, Xander felt the need to protect.

April looked at the ground, wracking her brain for an answer. Brooke only appeared to be in her early twenties, so she would have been conceived in the early nineties. Mark hadn't started dating his second wife, Sara, until 1997. Her father had been far too depressed to even think about sleeping around, let alone dating. There had to be a mistake.

"Brooke's not my sister," April said finally, showing off those pearl-white teeth of hers. She let out a nervous laugh, as if she was trying to come to terms with it. Xander raised an eyebrow, smirk in place.

"And how do you know that?"

"The times don't match up; she would have been born in the early nineties, and Dad wasn't dating anyone or sleeping with anyone. My grandmother would have killed him if he did."

Xander's smirk only grew. "Nanna Calaway had a fairly lethal right hook on her, if I remember correctly."

April nodded, the memory of how many times her father had taken said right hook to the stomach or jaw floating into her head. She let out a giggle.

Xander kissed her temple, knowing that she'd mellowed out now. A quick wink and a smile and he returned to the main hall of the cafe, spying Cooper and Brooke across the way. The silver-haired man was teaching Brooke how to use the coffee machine.

"Welcome to the family, Brooke," he called before waving at them. Brooke looked up at him and the friendly smile on his face, grinning right back at him. Whichever way she took it was fine by him, he knew she was April's little sister. She'd find out eventually that she had a magickal lineage to live up to, and one hell of a wrestling heritage. Either way, she was as special as the rest of them in his eyes, and he would protect her from anything.

The question was, how would April take that news when it finally came out?

~X~

The sun was high in the sky when James stepped out of his apartment building and onto the streets of Santa Monica. He'd thankfully had a few hours of uninterrupted sleep after he'd dropped Brooke off for her first day, and he was now bright-eyed and bushy tailed... well, as much as he could be. Her face had still haunted him, but not as much. Sam had been wandering around his apartment while he'd slept, so he hadn't had as many nightmares. Still, little sleep was better than no sleep.

Sam stepped out into the sunshine beside him and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Sammie," James said, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "Today is the day I hook you and Brooke up."

"Hilarious, James," Sam replied with a grin, shoving his friend away. "You know as well as I do that Brooke and I are not compatible."

"Not from what I saw," James cooed as he straddled his motorcycle. Trip had been nice enough to pull both his bike and Brooke's out of his garage and park them in front of his apartment. He rested his arms on the handle bars and watched Sam mount the other bike. "You and Brooke are on the same damn wave length!"

Sam grinned and rolled his eyes and slipped on his helmet, covering his eyes from James' view. James knew better though; Sam was hiding the fact that he had very minor feelings for Brooke. He probably wouldn't act on them, he never did. It's why Sam would be a life-long bachelor. He felt himself unworthy of female affection.

James was about to slip his helmet on when he felt the air around him ripple. He looked up and scanned the area, searching for the disturbance. Across the busy Santa Monica street, in the shadows of the Foxy Boxes building, was a blond haired kid he'd come across before. He was a twenty-two year old that James had practically watched grow up. With blonde hair, tanned skin and ember eyes, Charlie Calavera was hard to forget.

Sam removed his helmet and looked at James, following his gaze to where Charlie stood in the shadows. He watched the blonde reach into his pocket and remove a ceremonial dagger, the purple gem in its hilt shining. The squealing of wheels beside him drew his attention, however, and he jerked his head to look at James.

A cocky smirk had crossed his face as he held tight to the brakes of his bike, all while forcing the accelerator. He held Charlie's gaze, challenging him to follow him. Quickly slipping his helmet on, he revved the engine of his bike again and swung out into the street. His bike immediately reared in protest, but he slammed it back down and weaved his way through the traffic, Sam close behind him.

A loud screech filled the air and James looked over his shoulder. What he knew to be Charlie's alternate form, was flying through the air, twisting and turning as his human self shifted away. A witch in grief, James thought to himself as the Banshee shrieked again. He returned his eyes to the road, drifting around a corner and through the busy streets of downtown Los Angeles. He dodged and weaved each sonic blast as cars exploded around him. Charlie was definitely trying to kill him. No surprise there, but he was doing all of this in the eyes of the public. People were screaming and running as the white hell beast chased the two bikes through the streets. He knew exactly what was going to happen after this. The trio of witches who hated him the most would again attempt to hunt him down and kill him, without even considering that he hadn't started the fight. Typical.

You know, came Sam's voice in his head. He jerked his head to look at Sam quickly before dropping his bike all the way down, skidding underneath an oncoming eighteen-wheeler, for someone who values their privacy so much that they have a secret name, you really know how to draw attention to yourself.

And what exactly am I supposed to do?! James all but shouted back, using the freeway's off ramp to elevate himself into air. Sam was right behind him, of course, but much lower to the ground. There was a very high probability that they would separated. Another banshee screech shot passed them both as they landed, tearing up the asphalt. A black sedan slammed on its breaks and skidded to the side, almost blocking off their path. James' reflexes were perfect, as usual, and he managed to force his bike over the hood and back into traffic.

They continued to bob and weave away from Charlie's anguished cries until he finally gave up. By the time he had, they'd traveled around Los Angeles several times and the sun had started to go down. When they returned to James' apartment, it was almost dusk. James pushed open the door to the garage beside Trip's and pushed his bike in, trying to be as quiet as possible. Sam sidled in behind him, kicking the stand out and leaving Brooke's bike near the far wall. James let out a deep sigh and collapsed on the ground, leaning against his own bike.

"That was not how I wanted to spend my day," he breathed, blinking up at Sam. His friend smiled, his head tilted to the side.

"Weren't you supposed to pick up Brooke from work?"

James blinked at him before darting to his feet and careening out of the garage and to his apartment. Sam shook his head and stuffed his hands in his pockets, following after his idiot friend.

Fumbling for his key, James muttered profanities to himself. He knew Brooke would have found a way home when she couldn't contact him, and he knew she'd be inside. The problem was, he barely knew Brooke, and didn't trust her to be in his apartment alone just yet. She'd only been alone the night before because he'd assumed Sam was with her. She hadn't been alone long, and she seemed trustworthy enough, but there were things in his apartment he didn't want her to find just yet. Things he wanted to keep safe and hidden. They were his memories, and those memories he didn't share with anyone, especially Sam, Willa and Daniel. They knew why, but Brooke didn't, and he figured she would snoop around to find out as much as she could about him, which would lead her to the locked room across from his.

As it turned out, he was right. When he slammed open the door, Brooke was nowhere in sight. He checked her room to find her missing. He took a deep breath and ventured into his side of the apartment, cringing when he saw her door open. He felt someone's fingers curl around his arm and he turned, spying Sam.

"Don't lose your temper, she's just curious," he said, his voice filled with warning. James sighed. How could he not? There was a reason he'd put Brooke in the room he did. This side of the house was forbidden territory. No one except James was allowed in that room.

Pulling away from Sam, James stepped into the door way, watching the wayward blonde run her fingers over the pink satin bed spread. In her hand was Mr Fuzzytail, a stuffed purple rabbit that had belonged to...

"What the hell are you doing in here?!" James roared, his temper flaring. No one was allowed in the room, and this was exactly why! Her things had to stay the same way she left them. Nothing was to be moved. Her memory would be preserved forever that way.

Brooke jumped, holding the rabbit to her chest out of fear. She'd never heard James yell like that, nor had she seen his face as red as it was. He was fuming. Any wrong movement and he would probably use her head as a drinking goblet.

"I-"

"No one is allowed in here!"

A step back was all it took for Brooke to lose her footing and fall to the floor. She looked up at James as his temple throbbed, his knuckles whitening as he curled his fingers into a fist. She backed away slowly, knowing that her face had probably morphed into a target he was just raring to punch.

"Brooke," called Sam's concerned voice from the hallway, "did you touch anything in there?"

Brooke looked down at the rabbit in her hand. It was old and dusty, and she'd intended on returning it to the bed since she'd found it on the floor, but James had walked in before she had the chance.

"Y-yes..."

There was a loud sigh and Mr Fuzzytail wiggled from beneath her hand, floating into the air in front of her, bobbing once then returning to the floor, exactly where she'd found it earlier; face down, tail in the air, one arm tucked under its leg. Brooke looked up at James as he shook with rage.

"Get out," he growled, standing aside so she could leave. She swallowed back her fear and stood, dusting off her jeans. Clearly James had lost his patience though because he grabbed her arm and shoved her from the room into Sam's waiting arms. He turned to look at them both and growled, shutting the door behind her. There was a click and then nothing.

Silence filled the hallway. Brooke shuddered, holding back her tears. She normally had enough courage to fill a stadium, but that had been drained from her. She was terrified. James' outburst had filled her with more fear than she'd ever felt before. Even her mother and her mythical rage didn't compare to that. She shook in Sam's arms as he curled them around her, trying with little success to comfort her.

"Shh, it's okay, little princess," he cooed, leading her down the hallway to the living room. He sat her down on the sofa and curled an arm around her shoulders as she cried.

Deep, heaving sobs escaped Brooke's mouth before she even had a chance to stop them. She had never shed a single tear before, but now? Her human side was showing its colors. Everything had gone wrong today; she'd dropped several glasses from her tray, tripped twice going in and out of the kitchen, and almost poured lemonade down a lady's back. She'd had a terrible day and probably wouldn't be welcome back tomorrow, and now James wanted to smash her face into the ground. Why was this happening to her? All she'd tried to do was help, and now he was angry at her. What had she done wrong?

Wiping the tears away, Brooke sniffed and looked up at Sam. He gave her a sympathetic look. He seemed to be the only friend she'd made in the human world who understood that she was just as lost as a new born baby. She was having trouble fitting in, and he was the only one who would help her.

"Chin up, Brookey," he said with a grin, tapping her nose with his finger. She smiled softly at him, wiping away more stray tears. "James is a little... protective about that room..."

"Why? Who does the room belong to?"

Sam bit his lip, searching for an answer. Was it his place to tell Brooke James' secrets? No, but she at least needed to know something so she wouldn't trigger him again.

"That's Lucy's room," he said after a moment, picking his words carefully.

"Who is Lucy?" she asked, as curious as a child. Sam looked away, trying to think of how to respond. He couldn't give away everything; that was up to James to decide. But he could tell her who Lucy was, right?

"Lucy was James' daughter. She passed away, two years ago, in a car accident." He ran a set of fingers through his hair. "He's kept that room the same way she left it ever since. He never really got over it."

The look on Brooke's face said it all; she was embarrassed and ashamed of herself. She'd gone into James' private room without asking and messed everything up. She'd besmirched his daughter's memory. How could she have been so stupid? Of course she'd somehow ruin everything she'd tried to make for herself in the first week, her mentor had warned her she would.

Brooke stood, darting down the hallway to her own room, Sam trailing behind her.

"Where are you going?"

"I cannot stay here. I am going to ruin everything for him. He needs time to grieve; my presence here will only make it worse." Turning to face him as she entered her room, she smiled. His lip curled in reply.

"I know somewhere you can go."